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The inexorable rise of Costa Coffee and Premier Inn have been joined by a resurgent restaurant business, helping Whitbread to post a 4 per cent rise in sales.

Britain’s biggest hotel and coffee shop operator said that group like-for-like sales rose 4.3 per cent in the 13 weeks to November 28, eclipsing a 2.8 per cent rise in the first six months of the year. Total group sales were up by 13.8 per cent.

Like-for-like sales at UK Costa Coffee stores jumped 4.9 per cent, while total sales were 20.4 per cent higher. There were 246 new store openings worldwide,